Approved Research This page provides a searchable list of all research protocols that have been reviewed and approved by the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology(UNCST).
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Name Title Nationality Approval Date Expiry Date Field of Science/Classification Trial Type Research Type  
Janet Lewis I
ID:
Reducing Prejudice Against Refugees Pilot
REFNo: SS662ES

The vast majority (85%) of the world’s political refugees live in developing countries, according to UNHCR. As of early 2019, Uganda was home to over one million refugees from South Sudan, and had the largest refugee/asylum-seeker population in Africa (ACCORD 2019). Uganda has a strong national commitment to hosting refugees that is reflected in its immigration policies, leading some to call it a “melting pot” of regional nationalities. Still, its population faces challenges absorbing these refugees that are common to host countries. Relations are often strained between the refugee population and Ugandans, some of who perceive refugees as unwelcome competition for local resources and services (World Vision 2018; UNHCR 2018; ACCORD 2019).
This study will allow us to better understand the perceptions of Ugandans towards South Sudanese refugees, and measure both the extent of anti-refugee prejudice there and whether a perspective-taking intervention is effective at reducing prejudice. This knowledge will be crucial for understanding how best to design a later, larger study, which could substantially advance knowledge about prejudice reduction towards refugees in Uganda.
Furthermore, this study will provide a useful indication about whether our full version of this study will be able to measure spillover of the treatment through social networks; we will ask respondents in our endline survey about whether and with whom respondents discussed the intervention. Prejudicial attitudes are socially reinforced; changing one person’s mind may be difficult if that person’s peers still hold prejudicial beliefs. Likewise, if many of one’s peers have begun to reconsider their own prejudices, one may be encouraged to do so as well. Our prior work leads us to expect the information to spread widely, and some change in attitudes and behavior, but only for those connected to a treatment recipient via certain kinds of social ties (Larson and Lewis 2017, 2018). Practitioners often assume that interventions spread from a subset of individuals to their broader community through felicitous spillovers. If this pilot is successful, our full study will be among the first to measure whether and how this occurs for prejudice reduction through networks. This knowledge could, among other things, lead to more efficient designs of community prejudice-reduction projects. Moreover, even if spillover effects are not present, the full study will be able to detect how news of the intervention spreads through local networks. Doing so will provide rare, direct evidence of information dissemination through word-of-mouth networks, which is useful for the design of programs aimed at seeding any type of public service message – from news intended to diffuse conflicts, to information about a new technology that promises to better hold politicians accountable or improve public health.

Our pilot study therefore addresses four questions:
(1) What is the extent of anti-refugee prejudice among Ugandans living in villages in West Nile?
(2) Do positions towards refugees correlate with their positions in village social networks?
(3) Can a brief conversation oriented towards taking the perspective of South Sudanese refugees reduce Ugandans’ prejudice toward them? If so, does the effect persist after 2-3 weeks?
(4) To what extent does news spread about this perspective-taking exercise, and through which types of contacts?
 USA 2021-02-12 2024-02-12 Social Science and Humanities Non-degree Award
Nathan Fiala
ID: UNCST-2022-R009060
 “An exploration of groundnut Seed Quality Along the distribution chain in Uganda.”
REFNo: A109ES

The general objective of this study is to conduct an analysis of seed quality along the supply chain of groundnuts in Uganda. The selected crop for this study is important and the seed system is largely informal. Groundnuts is nearly 100% self-pollinating (98-99%) and farmers keep the seeds often beyond the recommended replacement period.
 USA 2021-02-04 2024-02-04 Agricultural Sciences Non-degree Award
Jenna Grzeslo
ID:
Exploring the Feasibility of Empowerment and Livelihood for Adolescents (ELA) in an Afterschool Setting: Formative Research to Inform Programming and Policy in Uganda
REFNo: SS693ES

1. BRAC would like to explore the feasibility of school and government uptake of the programming.

2. Finally, to inform future experimental evaluations, we seek to understand the role of dosage (e.g., the number and frequency of meetings) in designing the updated ELA curriculum.
USA 2021-04-27 2024-04-27 Social Science and Humanities Non-degree Award
Shevin  Jacob Thomas
ID:
Understanding Drivers of Antimicrobial Resistance Among Mothers and Children in Uganda (DRUM+)
REFNo: HS1185ES

Understanding Drivers of Antimicrobial Resistance Among Mothers and Children in Uganda (DRUM+)
Specific Objectives:
Determine the prevalence of ESBL-E and ESBL-K bloodstream infections (BSI) and colonization among peripartum women and neonates/children < 5yo hospitalized with suspected sepsis.
2. Among peripartum women and neonates/children < 5yo hospitalized for suspected sepsis, determine the clinical outcomes, including morbidity (e.g., incidence of chronic kidney disease), mortality percentage (in-hospital and up to 4 months after the date of hospitalization) and frequency of readmission up to 4 months after the date of hospitalization.
3. Determine whether there is a molecular epidemiologic linkage between household carriage (including humans, associated domestic animals, and environment) of ESBL-E and ESBL-K AND patients (peripartum women or neonates/children < 5yo) hospitalized with sepsis who have ESBL-E and ESBL-K BSI or colonization.
4. Among patients (peripartum women or neonates/children < 5yo) hospitalized with sepsis who have ESBL-E and ESBL-K BSI or colonization, evaluate drivers of AMR transmission in Uganda (e.g., directionality of transmission and independent risk factors for transmission) using a dynamic agent-based model incorporating their microbiologic resistance data AND the data from linked households describing microbiological resistance and WASH observations.
 USA 2021-03-17 2024-03-17 Medical and Health Sciences Non-degree Award
Coleen Sabatini
ID: UNCST-2019-R001321
 Outcomes of Vascularised Fibula Flaps for Reconstruction of Segmental Bone Defects at CoRSU Rehabilitation Hospital
REFNo: HS1203ES

General Objectives To assess if vascularised fibula flap surgery for long segmental bone defects results in good outcomes for patients with an acceptable complication profile. Specific objectives 1.To determine the functional and aesthetic outcomes of vascularised fibula flaps for treatment segmental bone defects from osteomyelitis. 2.To determine outcomes of use of vascularized fibula flap in reconstruction for pseudarthrosis of the tibia, benign tumor, trauma and infection 3.To determine the complications related to the use of vascularized fibula flap in the patient populations of infection, trauma, tumour, and pseudarthrosis.
USA 2021-03-17 2024-03-17 Medical and Health Sciences Non-degree Award
Danette Cagnet Lee
ID:
Community-led Total Sanitation Programming and the Maintenance of Sanitation Behaviors
REFNo: SS737ES

The purpose of this qualitative, exploratory, case study research is to better understand stakeholder's, including village community members, village leadership, and CLTS practitioner, perceptions of the facilitators and hindrances to the maintenance of sanitation in the maintenance stage of Community-led Total Sanitation programming in Uganda, East Africa. This study seeks the perspective of and participation of village community stakeholders receiving the Community-led Total Sanitation intervention implemented by the non-governmental organization, Kibo Group International.
 USA 2021-09-02 2024-09-02 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
Kelly Mannion Ray
ID:
Understanding how variation in food effort and intake correlate with tool use in Bugoma Forest Chimpanzees
REFNo: NS155ES

To understand the potential drivers of tool use and how ecology plays a role
 USA 2021-03-15 2024-03-15 Natural Sciences Degree Award
Julia Dickson-Gomez
ID: UNCST-2019-R000775
 Integration of buprenorphine into a multi-component harm reduction program for people who inject drugs in Kampala, Uganda
REFNo: HS1229ES

To develop a combination HIV prevention intervention for PWID in Kampala Uganda, using the Consolidated Framework for Intervention Research. The combination intervention includes social network HIV/HCV testing, linkage to care for PWID and PrEP for HIV negative PWID. All participants will be offered safe injection equipment, condoms and HIV risk reduction education, and naloxone, buprenorphine, and CBT4CBT for heroin users.
2. To refine the intervention iteratively through implementation cycles using the CFIR framework to identify barriers and find solutions to implementation and scale-up.
3. To assess feasibility, acceptability and initial promise of the intervention with a 6-month pilot test.

 USA 2021-05-10 2024-05-10 Medical and Health Sciences Non-degree Award
Shevin  Jacob Thomas
ID:
EVALUATION OF PHARMACOKINETICS, SAFETY AND FEASIBILITY FOR ADMINISTRATION OF TWO DOSES OF INTRAVENOUS VITAMIN C COMBINED WITH VITAMIN B1 FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF ADULT PATIENTS ADMITTED WITH SEPSIS TO KIRUDDU NATIONAL REFERRAL HOSPITAL Short Title: RANDOMISED EVALUATION OF A VITAMIN C BUNDLE FOR SEPSIS TREATMENT IN AFRICA (REVISTA-DOSE)
REFNo: HS1236ES

General objective: In the future REVISTA-RCT, we intend to evaluate the components of a metabolic bundle comprising vitamin C, vitamin B1, and corticosteroids in order to determine if a combined effect of the bundle has greater efficacy (than bundle components or placebo) in decreasing 28-day mortality due to sepsis in adult patients in SSA. In preparation for the RCT, we intend to utilize the REVISTA-DOSE study to answer key questions about optimal dosing and safety for intravenous vitamin C (in combination with vitamin B1) in patients hospitalized with adult sepsis in two Ugandan referral hospitals. Primary objectives: 1. Describe the dose-plasma concentration response from two different doses of intravenous vitamin C (in combination with vitamin B1) Secondary objectives: 1. Evaluate the safety and tolerability of intravenous vitamin C (in combination with vitamin B1) in adult medical patients with sepsis in Uganda 2. Assess the enrolment rates, adherence to protocol and feasibility of conducting an RCT in patients with sepsis within the ARCS cohort of patients Exploratory objectives: 1. Evaluate association of vitamin C and vitamin B1 levels on clinical parameters/markers, including those for: a. Disease severity: shock; lactate clearance; qSOFA score; ability to stand unaided b. Inflammation, infection: Procalcitonin c. Organ/metabolic function, including: renal function d. Adverse events: hemolysis; oxaluria e. Outcomes: re-hospitalization frequency; length of hospitalization; 6 or 7 and 28d morbidity and mortality
USA 2021-03-26 2024-03-26 Medical and Health Sciences Non-degree Award
Aubryn Sidle Allyn
ID:
Barriers to Returning Girls to School After COVID-19 Related School Closures in East Africa
REFNo: SS750ES

1. Identify and disseminate information about the barriers that adolescent girls in Uganda are facing that may prevent school resumption once directives to resume are given.

2. Identify and disseminate information about promising best practice programming in distance education and returning formerly school-going adolescent girls to school, once schools

USA 2021-03-18 2024-03-18 Social Science and Humanities Non-degree Award
Katelin Wilton
ID:
Supporting Families through Community Health Workers during COVID: A feasibility and acceptability study
REFNo: SS752ES

Main objective/ purpose
The main objective of this study is to better understand coping strategies of frontline health workers, feasibility and acceptability indicators of messaging success.
Specific Objectives
The specific objectives of this study are to:
• Understand frontline health workers perspective on their stress and psychosocial wellbeing
• Understand the feasibility and acceptability of behaviorally-informed SEL and MHPSS messaging targeted at adult and child clients delivered through frontline health workers
• Determine whether such messaging targeted at clients may also improve frontline health worker coping strategies

USA 2021-05-20 2024-05-20 Social Science and Humanities Non-degree Award
CARL CHRISTIAN STECKER CHRISTIAN
ID:
Caregiver-Assisted Oral Fluid-based HIV Screening in Children: Estimation of Acceptability, Feasibility and Effectiveness Linked to Index Testing Services in Uganda.
REFNo: HS1258ES

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the acceptability, feasibility and effectiveness of a caregiver-assisted oral fluid based HIV test to screen children for HIV. The results of this study are intended to support expanded access to HIV testing and treatment services for children, and to ensure that all newly diagnosed children are linked to clinical care.

The primary objectives of this study are to:
1. Estimate the acceptability of implementing caregiver-assisted oral fluid-based HIV screening for children as part of index testing services for HIV-positive adults.
2. Estimate the feasibility of implementing caregiver-assisted oral fluid-based HIV screening for children as part of index testing services for HIV-positive adults.
3. Estimate the effectiveness of caregiver-assisted oral fluid-based HIV screening on testing yield, return to clinic, and linkage to ART for newly identified CLHIV.

The secondary objective of the study is to:
Estimate the cost of caregiver-assisted oral fluid-based HIV screening compared to the standard costs of the existing referral to testing program, from the perspective of the health care provider.

 USA 2021-04-08 2024-04-08 Medical and Health Sciences Non-degree Award
Sebastian Linnemayr
ID: UNCST-2021-R012696
 INcentives and ReMINDers to Improve Long-term Medication Adherence (INMIND)
REFNo: HS1286ES

We propose to test INMIND in a pilot, 3-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) in Uganda with two intervention groups. All participants (including in the control group) will receive information about the importance of behavioral routines, as is part of the standard adherence counseling for treatment initiators, and create personalized ART adherence anchoring strategies. In the first intervention group, participants will additionally receive text messages to keep adherence and their anchoring strategy salient. In the second group, we add small incentives awarded conditionally on taking ART pills within a time window that corresponds to participants’ personalized anchoring strategy to increase the immediate rewards of adherence.

The Specific Aims
1.Develop the intervention using the ADAPT-ITT framework and evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of INMIND.
2: Test the preliminary effectiveness of the intervention, including the relative effectiveness of two different implementation approaches
3. Collect data in preparation for a subsequent R01 application
 USA 2021-03-15 2024-03-15 Medical and Health Sciences Non-degree Award
Daniel Mongovin David Thomas
ID:
Dry Rifting in the Albertine-Rhino Graben (DRIAR)
REFNo: NS160ES

To conduct a geological investigation of faulting associated with continental rifting in the magma-poor rift environment in the northernmost Western Branch of the East African Rift System.
 USA 2021-09-08 2024-09-08 Natural Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
John Storey Douglas
ID:
Understanding factors that influence people's health-seeking behavior to inform a social and behavior change communications campaigns in Uganda
REFNo: SS761ES

The overall objective of this research is to suggest ways of improving the OBULAMU brand and to develop a set of recommendations
to inform a national-level social and behavior change communication strategy for the Ministry of Health in Uganda. In order to achieve this objective, the following smaller objectives will be met:
a)To identify the characteristics and behaviors of different brand users.
b)To understand the barriers and levers to improve past communication efforts.
c)To understand baseline attitudes, perceptions and the socio-ecological context which influences users' health-related decisions.
d)To identify the critical moments in people’s lives across which different health needs become salient
e)To design and test solutions to address the barriers faced by end-users and provide holistic recommendations that can inform the redesigning efforts of the OBULAMU campaign and provide inputs into the national SBC strategy.

 USA 2021-04-26 2024-04-26 Social Science and Humanities Non-degree Award
Leah Pauline
ID:
The Paradox of Being an Adolescent Girl in Uganda During a Global Pandemic
REFNo: SS765ES

My research aims to answer the following
research question and sub-questions:
How do adolescent girls in Uganda navigate the liminal period of COVID-19 when their
educational aspirations of empowerment are put on hold and they face exacerbating
pressures to abide by gender roles/expectations?
Sub-questions:
1- How do high school drop-outs in Uganda differ before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic?
2- What factors influence adolescent girls’ reproductive health and
whether or not they return to school?
3- How do adolescent girls’ future aspirations play a role in their
continuation of schooling?
4- How do adolescent girls interpret peer drop-outs as they navigate their
own decision to continue their education or drop-out?
 USA 2021-04-08 2024-04-08 Social Science and Humanities Degree Award
Elisabeth Vodicka
ID:
Evaluating the ongoing costs and operational context of national HPV vaccine delivery in Uganda
REFNo: HS1358ES

Identify the HPV vaccination program cost drivers and opportunities and challenges for improving cost efficiency.,Evaluate the quality of existing HPV vaccination program performance data.,Understand the contextual factors of the delivery approach for the HPV vaccination program.,Estimate the ongoing costs to deliver HPV vaccines for the health system and supporting platforms (e.g., department of education). ,Evaluate the annual ongoing financial and economic delivery costs for HPV vaccination in Uganda. ,
 USA 2021-06-18 2024-06-18 Medical and Health Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Dao Ho
ID:
Palliative Care Needs Assessment in the Emergency Department in Kiruddu Hospital
REFNo: SS796ES

Objective 1: Describe the prevalence of palliative care needs among emergency care patients. In order to assess this objective, we will conduct a palliative care needs survey with patients and health care workers in the Kiruddu Hospital Emergency Department. Objective 2: Explore and illustrate identifiable strengths as well as barriers to delivery of palliative care in the emergency department. In order to assess this objective, we will conduct one-on-one interviews with health care workers in the Emergency Department to further explore this topic.
 USA 2021-05-24 2024-05-24 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
Adam Branch
ID:
Rethinking Vulnerability to COVID-19 Lockdowns in Gulu, Uganda
REFNo: SS786ES

Research questions
(1) Our first research question is: what are the mechanisms by which lockdowns are causing social and economic harm, in particular the hidden harms inflicted upon the most vulnerable?
(2) Our second research question is: How are people adapting to or innovating beyond lockdowns to secure livelihoods and ensure viable futures for themselves and others?
(3) How can lockdowns, and mitigation policies, be designed to minimize harm and support innovative strategies among those most vulnerable to lockdowns’ impacts?

Specific Objectives

(1) To describe the mechanisms by which lockdowns are causing social and economic harm, the hidden harms inflicted upon the most vulnerable people in urban and peri-urban areas of Gulu

(2) To explore people’s adaption to or innovation beyond lockdowns to secure livelihoods and ensure viable futures for themselves and others

(3) To explain how lockdowns and mitigation policies can be designed to minimize harm and support innovative strategies among those most vulnerable to lockdowns’ impacts

 USA 2021-07-05 2024-07-05 Social Science and Humanities Non-degree Award
Christina Hand
ID:
Case Study of Makerere University in Uganda through the Lens of U.S. Land-Grant Higher Education
REFNo: SS788ES

Makerere University, similar to U.S. land-grant universities, faces a shortage of resources and is moving toward privatization and neoliberalism. Both (Makerere and U.S. land-grants) face pressures to open access and also be world-class in research (have local and global relevance). Also both must come to terms with the impact of history (i.e. colonialism). The purpose of this research is to discover ways in which Makerere University confrms to and differs from U.S. land-grant higher education, and through analysis, to better understand both Makerere and U.S. land grant universities. The study will take an in-depth look at Makerere University – including the mission, structures, policies, activities, barriers, and facilitators – using the land-grant model as an organizational and analytical framework. As a result, the researcher hopes to offer recommendations toward the solution of problems facing Makerere University and U.S. land-grant universities, namely tensions between increased access and competitive research, local and global relevance, resource shortages, and coming to terms with colonialism.

The objectives are to address the following research questions: 1) How do the mission, structures, and activities at Makerere University align or diverge across different domains of the land-grant framework? 2) What are the facilitators, barriers, and tensions that affect Makerere University engagement across different domains of the land-grant framework?
 USA 2021-12-22 2024-12-22 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
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